Many Thanks

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all my friends who posted such wonderful comments on my Veterans Day post,especially Kymber,who posted a link to my post from hers.(Hope you feel better soon!) I had tears in my eyes as I read them....

One thing that was very exciting was that on Friday our local TV station,WMUR out of Manchester,had a special episode honoring our veterans on their "Chronicle" show. (It's a show all about NH,events,people,history,etc).I entered a photo,and out of the 1,300 + photos they received, one of the ones they chose to air was mine:

Those who have been following me for a while may recognize this photo.It's one of my favorites. This was taken when Rick came home for good. At this point,Rick had been gone a year,and had only been able to come home twice,once in August 2005,and in Dec 2005. This photo was taken in April 2006. Zach insisted on wearing his little desert camo uniform to honor his Dad. I tried to link the Chronicle episode,but for some reason,it wouldn't work. If anyone is so inclined to check it out,it's at WMUR.com,under "Chronicle". It's the Veterans Day Tribute. Rick and Zach are at the 4:04 mark in the second part. The whole episode was nothing but photos...it was very moving,and of course,I cried.

I am still under the weather (going on two weeks,now). My main compliant is a cough,heavy chest,and my head feels fuzzy. Saturday, I had no temp,yesterday it was 99.6,today it's back to normal,go figure! At any rate,it makes me not feel like doing much of anything,and this time of year,it's not a good thing. I have soap to make for gifts,crocheting to do,and laundry soap to make. And I don't feel like doing any of them,but I still try. Yesterday I did cut up my soap that I made last month,did the dishes,and swept. I did do some crocheting,and while I crocheted I watched "The Tudors" marathon on BBC America. Nothing like a little sex and court intrigue when one is not up to snuff!

The Menfolk are out on the mountain,still not having any luck at getting deer. It's amazing,considering the time and effort they put into scouting,etc. The deer are out there,but any time they see one,the trees are too dense to get a good shot off.I'm just glad to see that Rick enjoys the woods again. It took a long while before he could do anything but check to see where snipers might be hiding,and his anxiety would make it impossible for him to enjoy himself. Same with fishing.He would come home frustrated and angry that he could no longer enjoy what he loves to do the most. Now,he still gets some anxiety,but he has the tools to talk himself out of it so he is aware that he is not in danger,and no insurgents are hiding to try and take him out. It took a few years,though.

Our kitchen has not moved forward because of hunting season and because I haven't been up to snuff to keep bugging Rick :) I need to make a decision on appliances,and I haven't been up to deciding. Sigh.

Zach is doing great in school,made the Honor Roll again.He just finished participating in an anti-bullying film in school.

I suppose I should go try and do something. Laundry is calling. I hope you all have a fabulous day on this fabulous Planet!

Happy Veterans Day

Today we honor those who have protected our freedom. Where Memorial Day honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,Veterans Day honors all those who were willing to put their life on the line for us.

As for my family,I have had many who have served: My Dad ( Army, New Guinea,WWII),my brother Valmore (Army, Vietnam),my brother in law,Tom ( Air Force,Vietnam),my brother Dennis ( Sea Bees,Gulf War),my niece Tara (Air Force,OIF),and her hubby Scott (Air Force,OIF), my Uncle Bobby (Army,Korea),and my Uncle Valmore (Army,WW II-killed in Hawaii by someone in his tent cleaning his rifle).Brother B was in the Army National Guard. My father in law,Dick,was in the Coast Guard during the Bay of Pigs. Rick's uncle was a POW in Vietnam.

                            

While my family has had many serve,Rick's family has a long line of military service.His family has been here in the US since the 1620's. They came over from England with the wave of Puritans fleeing for their religious freedom.In fact,he has family members that arrived in Plymouth,MA in the boat after the Mayflower,which was called the Anne.He has had family members who fought in every war since the French and Indian Wars.Some died in war,one at Valley Forge,and a  great great grandfather who died in the Civil war at Fredricksburg and is buried in Virginia.

A down time moment at Camp Shelby,MS

                                             
When I met Rick,he was already a veteran.He had been in Airborne in the 1980's,stationed in Italy and had been in many "quick" combat missions (which of course,he can't tell me about). I refer to them as "Reagan's Secret Little Wars." He did serve in Nicaragua,which is not a place he remembers with great fondness.

In 2000,he wanted to get back into service,so he joined the National Guard. Then of course, 9/11 happened,and he went to Iraq after doing two tours on Homeland Security at the Air National Guard base down in Newington(Former Pease Air Force Base,now the Pease International Tradeport)

Ready to meet whatever comes his way

                                   Rick was sent to Ramadi,which at the time was the worst place in Iraq. It is located in the Sunni Triangle,or,"The Triangle of Death." It is on a main highway from Syria,where many of the insurgents came from. To quote one solider, "In 2004-2005,Ramadi was the shit." Reporters were rarely allowed into the city because it was so dangerous. Rick became a Scout,which meant he could sneak around gathering intel,or kick in doors and take prisoners. He also called in air support,and was a "long distance problem solver." They were attacked daily,several times a day.He saw combat each day.He took lives. He also helped train the Iraqis,which on more than one occasion, fled when they were attacked,leaving Rick by himself. When they went on patrol in town,he was either on point or in the rear. He did not have the luxury of staying at Forward Operating Base (FOB).He stayed in Outposts in outside of town.They were wooden shacks,no shower,etc. There were those who were at the base who never left it. They were referred to as FOBBITS by those who actually engaged in combat,and it was not a compliment. When there would be hot water at the FOB,it would be gone by the time Rick and his fellow Scouts went to shower,because the officers used it all (who never left the base).

One of the outposts 

                                             

One of my favorite phots

                                                       
Before Rick was in the Scouts,he was in a squad that patrolled in Bradleys. He was in the turret quite often.

                                                               

He was wounded on July 28,2005 in an RPG attack. He spent two weeks at Landstahl in Germany,before being sent to Fort Gordon,GA ( Walter Reed was full) where he was in medhold until April 2006.

Rick home for good!

                                       

Of course,that is where our struggle as a family really began-living with PTSD and TBI and dealing with it. It has made us stronger,but it took a toll on our marriage for a few years. His emotional walls were up so high,I could tell as soon as I held him for the first time since he was wounded that he wasn't the same.I could feel it. It took a few years for those walls to come down,thanks to medication and therapy (which he still does) and he is more like his old self. Our connection finally returned three years ago,and it still took a while to get back to where we were even then.

So,while this day is about Veterans and their sacrifices,I want to give a shout out to the families of veterans as well. They cried tears of sorrow,tears of joy,and tears of frustration. There are some whose loved ones are no longer here,and there are those who lost their loved ones due to mental issues and who have seen their marriages crumble. There are those who are caregivers to the physically and mentally disabled,and there are those who are blessed with no issues.Whatever their circumstances,they also deserve to be thought of today.

A couple years ago,we went to Malone,NY to visit the boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder(Laura Ingalls Wilder's hubby). Our tour group consisted of the three of us and a couple from Ontario. The gentleman was a retired member of the Canadian Air Force. Rick thanked him for his service to his country and shook his hand. The gentleman looked taken aback at first,thanked Rick as well,then commented,"It took me 19 years and to have to come to the US before anyone ever thanked me." So...thank you. Thank you to our wonderful Canadian friends up North (hello,Kymber),thank you to all those countries who have sacrificed for the greater good and who have supported the US with your blood,sweat,and tears throughout our history,and of course,thank you to My Fellow Americans. You continue to keep us free. I am humbled and grateful.

Where's My Deer?

The Menfolk had no luck yesterday,though Brother B did get a shot off at one.However,there were some trees in the way,so the deer was unharmed.They came back to the house a couple of times,and each time I heard them come in the door,I would call out,"Where's my deer?" "Out in the woods,"they would reply. So far, NH has had one hunter killed,and another wounded. We don't have many hunting accidents here in NH,thankfully. What causes these accidents are hunters who shoot at movement.They hear something,get a glimpse of what they think is a deer and they shoot.They don't make sure that it IS a deer.

Today it's foggy and there is a light mist coming down.It is suppose to rain this afternoon,so no hunting today.Rick has had a small fever for a couple of days,which he thanks me for (you're welcome,honey!).Rick will hunt even if he isn't feeling well...he tries to plod right through any illness. I,on the other hand,am down for the count when I am not up to snuff. I have a chest cold,and have been gacking and hacking. My head still feels weird,but my fever is pretty much non existent at 99 degrees.Apparently,this plague stays with folks for a while. People say the start to feel better,then they get set back. Lovely. Hopefully that won't happen to me.

Aside from the basic chores,there hasn't been much else going on. Zach is now the Assistant Patrol leader of his Boy Scout Patrol,so he had his first patrol leader meeting last night.Tonight,he has an Order of the Arrow meeting (OA is like the Honor Society for Boy Scouts). Saturday is our Scouting For Food pick up.

Since Zach has Veterans' Day off tomorrow,he is going hunting with the Menfolk. We would love it if Zach could get a deer.It would be his first one. He also needs to start brushing up on his Scout rank information,since Monday night he has his Scoutmaster Conference for his Star Rank.He will be quizzed on all info he has learned for his Scout,Tenderfoot,Second Class and First Class Ranks.If he passes that,then he will have his Board Of Review,which consists of members of the Troop Committee (Rick and I are not allowed to participate in that,of course).If he passes that, he will get his Star Rank.

 I suppose I should get motivated.I hope you all have a lovely day!